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K. AMES.

' RHEOSTAT.

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' PATENT OFFICE.

TIMOTHY K. AMES, OF \VILMINGTON,

DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES D. CARTER, OF SAME PLACE.

RHEQSTAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,918, dated December 2, 1890.

Application filed September 15, 1890. $erial No. 365,029. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, TIMOTHY K. AMES, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of \Vilmington, New Castle county, Delaware,

have invented certain Improvements in Switches and Regulators for Electric-Light Circuits, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention consists of a combined switch to and regulator for application to a line c011- taining one or a series of incandescent electric lamps, so that not only may the current be turned into or cut off from said lamp or lamps, but the strength of the current and I5 the intensity of the light can be easily regulated, the object of my invention being to so construct such a switch and regulator that it can be economically made and will be extremely compact in form, so that its appearance upon the wall of a room or apartment will not be objectionable. This object I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of my improved switch or regulator. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on the line 1 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the line 3 4, Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is a diagram illustrating the prepa- 3 ration of the wire for the resistance-coil prior to winding the same. Fig. 5 is a reduced perspective view illustrating one of the features of the winding; and Fig. 6 is a side view,

also on a reduced scale, of a special form of spool for the resistance-coil.

A represents the base or back plate of the switch, from the center of which projects the core a of a spool or bobbin, upon which the resistance-coil is wound, the base A consti- 4 tuting one head of this spool and a disk B constituting the other head of the same. Upon this disk B is mounted a segmental terminal plate I) and a series of terminal blocks (1 (Z &c. The plate I) is connected 45 by a wire a; to a binding-post as, contained in a recess in the base A, and the block (1 is connected by a wire 1 Fig. 3, to a similar binding-post y, and these binding-posts are connected to terminals of the line containing 5 the lamp or lamps intended to be governed by the switch. The block d is connected to one end of the resistance-coil wound upon the spool, and at some distance from the beginning of this coil the latter has a branch wire w, connected with the second block and at a still further distance a second branch connected with the block 01 and so on throughout the series, the coil finally terminating at the block d, the block d having no connection with the coil. A screw f passes into the upper end of the core a of the spool, and upon this screw is mounted so as to be free to turn a knob D, between which and the head of the spool is interposed a Washer g, and let into a recess in the inner end of this knob is a switchbar F, one end of which rests upon the segmental plate I), while its other end is free to range in either direction over the series of blocks (1 (1 &c., as the knob is turned. hen the switch-bar is in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 3, therefore it makes connection between the block d and the plate I), so that the full current passes directly from one binding-post to the other-that is to say, without passing through any portion of the resistance-coil wound upon the spool. If, however, the switch-bar is turned so as to make connection with the block (1 the current before reaching the switch-bar must first coil which is interposed between the blocks d d Hence the power of the light or lights will be diminished accordingly, and in like manner it the bar F is moved into contact with the block (Z the current will have to pass through a greater extent of the resistancecoil and there will be a further diminution of the light, and so on until the bar F makes connection with the block 6 whereby the entire extent of the coil is introduced into the circuit and the power of the light is reduced to a minimum, further movement of the bar E into contact with the block (1 cutting off the current'and switching out the lamp or lamps. In like manner the power of thelamp or lamps is gradually increased as the switch arm swings from the terminal (1 to the terminal d.

It will be evident that, although 1 have shown a series of six terminal blocks representing a corresponding number of sections of the resistance-coil, more or less than this number may be employed, depending upon pass through that portion of the resistancethe length of the resistance-coil and the various graduations in the power of the light which may be desired.

As a first step in the formation of the resistance-coil, I first wrap upon the core a of the spool a layer of insulating material, using, by preference, for this purpose a strip of asbestus paper, and upon the base A and the inner face of the head B of the spool I secure disks or washers of similar material. The wire which is to form the resistance-coil is then wound upon this first layer of asbestus paper, care being taken to keep the successive convolntions some distance apart, so as to prevent accidental contact of one with another. \Vhen the first series of layers or coils has been completed, a second wrapping of asbestus paper is applied thereto so as to completely cover the same, and the winding of the second series or layer of coils over this wrapper is proceeded with, and when this series is finished a third wrapping of asbestus paper is applied thereto, so as to cover and insulate the same, and so on until the wind ing of the complete coil has been effected, the branch wires to being carried from the coil at appropriate intervals and connected to the terminal blocks (Z d &c., strips .9 of asbestus paper being interposed between thesebranch wires and the coils to prevent short-circuit.- ing, as shown in Fig. 5.

In order to provide for the convenient formation of the branch wires, I prefer to form upon the wire 171 before commencing to coil the same a series of loops m, as shown in Fig. 4, these loops being located at a proper distance apart on the wire, and each loop being knotted at the base, so as to prevent it from being drawn out during the coiling or wrapping of the wire upon the spool. When in the winding of the coil one of these loops is reached, the end of the loop is passed through an opening in the head l; of the spool, so that it can be conveniently attached to its proper terminal block.

By the means above described I am enabled to provide a regulating-switch which comprises bnt few parts of cheap and simple conthat the placing of the same upon a Wall of a room or apartment is no more objectionable than the placing of an ordinary switch.

The spool, its switch-bar, and terminals are inclosed in an outer casing G, which has an opening for the reception of the knob D, and

is secured to the base A by screws 21. or in any other convenient manner, this casing or cover being preferably perforated, as shown, so as to provide for the free circulation of air around the spool.

In the case of a switch intended for use where the current is a heavy one it may also be advisable to ventilate the ends of the core, and for this purpose I employ a series (say three or four) of radial strips 1 between the end washers g and'the heads of the spool, so as to form air-spaces back of said washers, as shown in Fig. 6.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination, in a regulating-switch, of a spool and a resistance-coil wound thereupon, one head of the spool carrying the re sistance-terminals and the other head of the spool constituting the base or back plate whereby the switch is secured to a wall or other surface, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the spool, the resistance-coil wound upon said spool, the resistance-terminals carried by one head of the spool, the switch-bar, the knob for actuating the same, and a screw serving both as a retainer and as a pivot-pin for said knob, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, in a regnlatingswitch, of the resistance-coil with a spool one end of which constitutes the base of the switch and is recessed for the reception of the bindingposts for the line-connections, the other head of the spool carrying the resistance-terminals, substantially as specified.

at. The combination of the spool, its terminals, and switch-arm with a resistance-coil consisting of alternate wrappings of wire and asbestus paper or like insulating material, said Wire having at intervals branches leading to the terminals and likewise insulated by strips of asbestus paper, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of the spool, its terminals, and switclrarm, the insulating-washers lining the opposite heads of the spool, and the resistancecoil composed of alternate wrappings of wire and asbestns paper or like insulating material, said wires having at intervals branches leading to the terminals and likewise insulated by strips of asbestus paper, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of the spool, the end washers separated from the heads of the spool, so as to provide ventilating-passages between the two, and the resistance-coil consisting of t t f M 1 n alternate wrappings of wire and insulating s ruc ion an( is no 0 o ec iona e m r, so

material, substantially as specified.

7. The combination of the spool having resistance-terminals on the head of the same with a resistance-coil comprising alternate layers of wire and asbestus paper or like insulating material, said wire having at intervals knotted loops passed through the head of the spool forconnection with the terminals, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

TIMOTHY K. AMES.

\Vitnesses:

EUGENE ELTERICH, HARRY SMITH. 

